


ahead by a century

by daesunki



Series: sledgefu week 2019 [2]
Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, Established Relationship, M/M, Magical Realism, Short & Sweet, Time Travel, drinking game suggestion: drink every time u see a comma, the rules of time travel in this one are shaky at best, ud be out cold by the second paragraph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 17:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18743689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daesunki/pseuds/daesunki
Summary: Eugene falls asleep in San Francisco with Merriell’s arms fit securely around his waist and wakes up on the airfield in Peleliu with bombs going off around him and the sound of guns going off and wounded men ringing in his ears.





	ahead by a century

**Author's Note:**

> (title taken from ahead by a century by the tragically hip)
> 
> its sledgefu week... day two!! (insert That gif here)

Eugene falls asleep in San Francisco with Merriell’s arms fit securely around his waist and wakes up on the airfield in Peleliu with bombs going off around him and the sound of guns going off and wounded men ringing in his ears. 

It’s easy to mistake it for another nightmare at first; he still gets them fairly frequently three years after the war ended, waking up in a cold sweat and with tear running down his cheeks that Merriell softly kisses away. His breath picks up its pace, getting quicker as he gets his footing and pats himself down, and it’s only then that he realizes that he’s still wearing his pajamas, and that the dry earth of Peleliu is stinging his bare feet. That’s when he realizes that he jumped back. It happened a few times before, usually in times of stress in his life (he has midterms in university at the moment), and only when he’s asleep.

The knowledge that this is temporary and that he’ll wake up safe and sound and his life will resume its regular course calms him down. This is the past; this happened before, and he came out of the airfield alive. He has no reason to worry.

That’s when he sees Merriell, and time slows down.

Merriell- even though he knew him only as Snafu back then- who’s knocked down on the ground, spread-eagle on his back, with the smoke from an explosion going off just a few steps behind him.

Eugene doesn’t even think before he races to him, the ground cutting into the soles of his feet. He passes by Marines frozen in time, expressions of determination and fear plastered onto their faces as they charge forward. He jumps over craters made by bombs and runs around fallen men, landing on his knees by the only one of them who matters.

“Mer,” he pants, hands patting his body much like he did back then. His throat is dry, from heat or anxiety, he can’t tell. Merriell looks at him, confusion in his unfocused eyes. He looks younger, even with dirt and blood streaking his face.

He doesn’t recognize Eugene.

Well, he _does_ , but not the way Eugene is used to. He recognizes _Sledge_ , the boot who he knows nothing about, the unexperienced mortarman that he has to tolerate. But Eugene, who he’s lived with for years, who he came to Mobile to find four months after leaving him on that train, is unknown to him. “Sledge,” he slurs, blinking furiously to refocus himself. “The fuck you doin’ here?”

Eugene tries not to get hurt by the indifference in his voice, has to forcefully remind himself that in his present, no one knows him better than Merriell- that Merriell loves him. “It’s okay, Snaf,” he reassures him, propping Merriell’s head on his helmet. He looks up and finds himself, his old self, about fifteen steps ahead, realization just beginning to dawn on his face as he turns around to find Snafu on the ground.

A smile blooms on his Eugene’s face. He looks back down at Merriell, allowing himself to cup one of his cheeks in his hand. Merriell once told him that this, here, is what made him fall in love with Eugene, and now Eugene knows why.

“Don’t worry,” he lets love fill his voice as he looks into Merriell’s eyes, bright grey-green and achingly familiar. “I’m coming back for you. I promise.” Bending down, he presses a kiss to Merriell’s sweaty forehead, and closes his eyes.

He wakes up in their bed with a jolt. Merriell stirs behind him, arms tightening around Eugene’s waist. “Where’d you go?” he mumbles sleepily into the nape of his neck, and Eugene smiles, heart full.

“Nowhere,” he sighs, lacing his fingers with the hand resting on his stomach. Sleep is tugging him back down, warm and safe. “I’m right here.”

**Author's Note:**

> i always imagined that they moved to san francisco together after the show ended. it has an lgbtq community so i imagined its somewhere they could find a safe place for themselves where they dont have to hide :')


End file.
